Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an intelligent monitor of erectile function.
Description of the Related Art
Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a common sexual disorder. Penile erection is affected by various factors, including penile structure, blood vessel anatomy, the nervous system, hormonal levels, and sexual arousal.
Depending on the time periods of occurrence, penile erection includes nocturnal tumescence, psychological erection, and reflexive erection. Nocturnal tumescence is not affected by sexual arousal, and hence it can reflect the potential erectile function. Therefore, nocturnal tumescence is used to analyze the cause of ED in clinical application.
The monitoring of the nocturnal penile tumescence is conventionally performed in a sleep laboratory, which requires strict monitoring conditions and is not suitable for clinical application. Several simplified methods are also used for the monitoring of the nocturnal tumescence. The methods include the stamp test method, the pressure belts monitoring method, and the RIGISCAN® method.
The conventional nocturnal tumescence monitoring methods are largely inadequate. For example, the stamp test method is inaccurate. The pressure belts monitoring method can roughly detect the penile rigidity, but it cannot measure the erectile times and quality as well as the penile length and penile diameter. The RIGISCAN® method can detect the parameters including the penile size, the penile rigidity. However, the RIGISCAN® method requires fixed probes and recording devices, and thus causes discomfort. In addition, the RIGISCAN® method gives false negative results when the patient has depression, nightmare, or sleep disorders. Moreover, the RIGISCAN® method cannot measure the axial penile rigidity, is not applicable when the patient has a skin disease or a venereal disease, and is highly costly in application. Therefore, much opportunity for improvement remains.